Changing Faces
by s . p . m u s e . p a t r o l
Summary: She stared at him sometimes. When he wasn't looking or when her friends were too busy to notice. She stared until he caught her looking and she averted her eyes, pretending she had merely been staring into space. Toby/Spencer One-Shot.


_**Disclaimer:**__ I don't own Pretty Little Liars._

**Changing Faces**

She stared at him sometimes. When he wasn't looking or when her friends were too busy, talking about the latest gossip, to notice. She stared until he caught her looking and she averted her eyes, pretending she had merely been staring into space.

Things were different now. That day when she had found him, sitting on the ground, the most troubled expression on his face, things had changed. And it had changed her perspective of him _entirely_.

Spencer knew now that he wasn't Ali's killer – no one _that_ broken could be capable of murder – so she had secretly pledged to discover who was really responsible, and bring them to justice. Maybe that was partly for his sake because, that way, people would finally leave him alone. Stop punishing him for a crime he didn't commit.

She regretted it now; blaming him for Ali's death.

After _that_ day, she saw him everywhere she went – at school, around town. But she never talked to him. Merely acknowledged him with a glance or a look and calmly carried on with her day.

It seemed ironic that, after she had decided to finally leave him be, Spencer would run into him everywhere she went. And run into him she did.

She was late for History class – rushing through corridors, books in hand – when it happened. She turned a sharp corner – her class was just at the other end of this hall.

Spencer saw the broad, sculpted chest before she crashed into it, and closed her eyes instinctively when she was sent reeling back from the impact.

Somehow she managed to stay upright, but her books tumbled to the ground with a dull _thud_ that resonated off of the school walls.

Silence. That was all she heard. Gawking shamelessly as he bent down to retrieve her books – she spared a brief glance for his 'body guard' before turning back to him – before straightening up and holding them out to her.

He fixed her with an intense stare, and she audibly gulped before clumsily taking the books from him.

Muttering a quiet "thank you," she manoeuvred around him before making her way as fast as she could, without actually running, to her next class.

Spencer didn't notice how he watched her walk away.

Their third encounter – although she supposed it was only their second, as he hadn't been aware of the first – was even more embarrassing.

Spencer told herself that there was really no reason to feel embarrassed around him; excluding the _wrongly-accusing-him-of-murder_ reason.

She and her mother were walking home, on their way back from the _glorious_ country club, when she spotted him.

He was standing outside _Lucky Leon's Cupcakes_, a stern looking Jenna by his side and, as she neared him, he turned his head – almost as if sensing her presence – and locked eyes with her.

What was even more surprising was the slight nod of acknowledgement he sent her way.

And that was all it was: a nod. Not an _I-know-what-you're-up-to_ kind of nod, nor an _I-secretly-killed-your-friend_ kind of nod. No, she knew that not to be true.

Spencer nodded back unthinkingly, before turning away and carrying on down the street.

_What was that about?_

"Spencer?"

Her mother's voice. Spencer was unsurprised at the calculating expression on her face.

"Are you friends with that boy?"

She answered immediately.

"No. Not at all."

It was only the truth.

From then on, Spencer had found herself advocating for him – these gestures he'd been making towards her recently, however small, had spurred something inside of her. _Sympathy_.

When Melissa had remarked that "that boy ought to be locked up after what he did," Spencer had calmly commented that there really was no hard evidence to suggest that he was accountable for Ali's murder.

"But... don't you want the person responsible for your friend's death to be put away?"

"Yes, of course-" _More than you know,_ "-I just want them to make sure they get the right person first.

When Emily, or Hanna, or Aria brought up the subject of Ali – which seemed to be all they talked about these days – Spencer would casually steer the conversation towards someone – _anyone_ – _other than him._

Maybe it was Ian? But, surely, Ali's brother had something to do with it, right?

Spencer hadn't told her friends about that day in town – that day she'd witnessed the _real_ him, arms wrapped around his knees as if he might fall apart at any moment. For some reason it seemed too... personal.

And whenever his name was mentioned Spencer would calmly adopt a mask of indifference and point out that, "Maybe it wasn't him. We can't rule anyone out."

She figured that that was the least she could do. Spencer was the level headed one of the group, she knew that her opinion mattered, and she had this feeling – a feeling so strong that it overrode any other rational judgement concerning the matter – that told her he was innocent.

So if expressing this _feeling_ was all she could do – if that was all she could do to try and prove to her friends, his innocence, – then she would do it. Because – and don't ask her why, She didn't know why – no one took more of an interest in clearing Toby Cavanaugh's name than she.

_**A/N:**__ So this is a bit... blah, but I had a sudden urge to write something about these two... so I did!_

_I used to ship Toby/Emily and Spencer/Alex, but now that they aren't gonna happen, and after their scene in episode 13, I ship Toby and Spencer hard!_

_And apparently they might happen in the future. YEY! So I'll probably be writing more about them._

_Thanks for reading, hope you liked it! And tell me what you think._

:D


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